Comparison
Sideline vs. Queue
Queue and Sideline both charge $49 a month. What that buys, and who it's built for, diverges fast from there.
Queue is the productized starter kit
Sell services from a catalog with checkout links and subscriptions, onboard clients, collect requests, and proof design or website work, with custom domains and unbranded portals even on the free tier. "Free until your first client," then Growth at $49/mo with 2 seats (+$19 per extra seat) and a generous 2TB of storage.
Sideline is the retainer workhorse
One calm queue for teams doing ongoing client work: intake, board and calendar views, client portal, internal notes, AI-drafted replies, time tracking, reports, $49/mo flat with 5 seats included and unlimited clients.
| Feature | Sideline | Queue |
|---|---|---|
| Price at 2 people | $49/mo | $49/mo |
| Price at 5 people | $49/mo (seats included) | $106/mo ($49 + 3 × $19) |
| Free tier | No, 14-day trial, no card | Free until your first client (2 seats, 10GB) |
| Client portal & intake forms | Yes, magic-link invites | Yes, embeddable in your site |
| Checkout, subscriptions & invoices | Not yet, retainer billing is next on the roadmap | Yes, catalog, coupons, add-ons, no transaction fees |
| Design & website proofing | No | Yes, built-in feedback tools |
| AI connector (Claude / ChatGPT / MCP) | Included on every plan, one-click OAuth | Not offered |
| AI writing assist (Polish + Write-for-me) | Included, fair use | Not offered |
| Flexible staffing without seats | Specialists sign in with their own email; personal contact details stay private | Team accounts, standard |
| Time tracking | Built in, all plans: a per-person timer that follows you across devices, filterable reports, CSV export | Growth plan |
| File storage | 500GB, 10GB max file (+$19/mo per 500GB) | 2TB on Growth, 5GB max file size |
| White-label | In development; included in the $49 plan when it ships | Custom domain & unbranded portal from free tier |
| Annual discount | Two months free | None published |
| Hide your client list & team roster from staff | Agency setting per page: client list, team roster, reports. Client list hidden by default | Not documented publicly |
| Queue ranks itself, with reasons | Smart Focus ranks each person's queue and says why in plain language | Not offered |
| AI suggests field updates from the thread | Suggests status, due date, and priority from the conversation; you accept or ignore | Not offered |
| Client-set priority order | Drag in the list or on the board; the order is shared, so clients can set your priorities | Not documented |
Queue details from usequeue.com/pricing verified July 26, 2026, check their site for current numbers. Spot an error? hello@sideline.io.
Our honest take
If you're a solo designer or a two-person shop selling productized packages, logo sprints, website tiers, subscription design, Queue is a genuinely appealing starter kit: checkout, proofing, and white-labeling in one place, with a free tier to launch on. Its 2TB storage and built-in proofing beat us outright for design-heavy delivery.
Two things to weigh. The seat math flips hard at team size: by five people you're paying more than double Sideline for a thinner request workflow with no AI assistance. And Queue is a young product from a very small team with a thin third-party review record, worth factoring when the tool in question holds your client relationships.
Selling productized packages solo? Queue makes sense. Running a team on retainers? The math and the workflow both point here.
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